“The retro tropicália and gauzy shimmer of jazz-filled sunny island afternoons are in abundance on Feelings, an expansion of the sound the pair began with 2019’s Walkie Talkie.”– A. V. Club
“A vibrant cauldron of funky lounge pop, bossa nova, psych, jazz and IDM.” – Paste
“From start to finish, Feelings has a kind of sonic luxuriousness that mirrors the lyrics’s immutable joy. It’s a balm, and a thing to treasure.” – Bandcamp Album Of The Day
“Brijean makes insightful, groove-based music designed for the listener to have an expressive moment.” – SPIN
Brijean – the Oakland-based duo of Brijean Murphy and Doug Stuart – release their new album, Feelings, via on Ghostly International. The duo also have released the video for ‘Wifi Beach.’ The group improvised the track’s intro sequence based on the vision of a lavish 1970s pool party. Establishing the scene is a mid-frequency drum kit disco shuffle augmented by tight congas and timbale effect. “This song exists somewhere between our love for disco, montunos, and psychedelic pool parties,” says Murphy.
Directed by Nathan Castiel in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, the accompanying video reflects Brijean’s colorful sounds and eclectic inspirations. It shows the members playing their respective instruments in highly stylized and vibrant sets, which were inspired by an old Karen Carpenter TV performance segment. Murphy elaborates: “Nathan developed the idea further and fabricated an immersive and psychedelic hand painted set which included custom congas that I painted as well as a large stained-glass piece and backdrop that I designed. Between the studio set in LA and the wonderfully decorated house in Palm Springs, we explored nostalgia.”
Murphy – one of indie’s most in-demand percussionists (Poolside, Toro Y Moi, U.S. Girls) – and Stuart, who share backgrounds in jazz, Latin and soul music and were both fixtures in Oakland’s diverse music scene, began collaborating in 2018. Following the duo’s first sessions, which resulted in the mini-album Walkie Talkie (released in 2019 on Native Cat Recordings), Brijean continued collaborating in Oakland, inviting friends Chaz Bear, Tony Peppers, and Hamir Atwal, who all would end up contributing to the album. The leap from 2019’s Walkie Talkie to Feelings is marked by a notable expanse in range and energy. Brijean’s signature sound — a golden-hued dream pop tropicalia of dazzling beats and honeyed vocals — elevates with the addition of live drummers, strings, and synths. The album also finds Murphy fully trusting in her strengths, not just as a percussionist, but as a songwriter and collaborator.
Brijean wants you to move, physically, mentally, dimensionally; this is dance music for the mind, body, and soul. With Feelings, they’ve manifested a gentle collective space for respite, for self-reflection, for self-care, for uninhibited imagination and new possibilities.
